For McGee, uphill battle lies ahead

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Australian Brad McGee faces a few rough days this week, but the
Francaise des Jeux team leader emerged from the Tour de France's
eighth stage, the first to include climbs, with a smile on his
face.

McGee finished 31st, among a group of riders 27 seconds behind
stage winner Pieter Weening of the Netherlands, who held off
Andreas Kloden to claim his first stage win in his first tour.

It might be an appetiser compared with some of the tough
mountains stages ahead, where McGee will find out if he can aim for
a top-10 finish, but the 231.5 kilometres from Pforzheim in Germany
to the hilly Vosges region was a good indicator of his improving
climbing form.

Next to McGee was compatriot Michael Rogers, and the man wearing
the yellow jersey, Lance Armstrong. The American found out for
perhaps the first time in his six-year reign as champion what it
feels like not to have hard-working teammates at his side.

"I've got to be happy with that, it was a fast day," said McGee,
who has increased his training in the mountains this year. "I'm a
bit disappointed it didn't come to a bunch sprint. None of the guys
were working to catch Weening or Kloden, none of them wanted to
make the effort.

"That was the only negative of the day. If it had came down to a
sprint, I would have had a good chance."

McGee was behind Kazakhstan champion Alexandre Vinokourov when
he attacked at the tour's first main climb, in a bid to expose any
weakness in Armstrong. "When Vino attacked, I wasn't far behind
him. Armstrong went after him, and made a call for his teammates,
but there was nobody there," said McGee.

"You could feel the panic."

The race is set to go much higher, and so will the gradients on
the climbs in the Alps and the Pyrenees. But the 29-year-old from
Sydney is encouraged by the signs.

"One thing I took from today is that I was well within my limits
on the tempo," he said. "It was a fast climb. When the attacks go,
and the gradients get higher, then it's a different story. That's
when it comes down to your own determination and your morale. I
just hope tomorrow is similar." AFP